Of Letters and Dates
by alwaysmHine
Summary: Automatically, her hands went to his back and embraced him while her head was cradled into his chest. The letter that she kept for two days in her hand was left forgotten on the floor. HaaradaXOC.


Hakuouki oneshot #1

Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki..yadda..yadda.. I only own my OC-Shizuka

**Pairing: HaradaxOC**

Of Letters and Dates

"Shizuka-chan! Hurry!" Rika urged her very timid and slow friend as she stepped out of the inn.

While still trying to finish her conversation with the innkeeper—who also happened to be Rika's guardian, she ended up apologizing profusely for Rika's rude behavior. Kami! That girl could be the death of her!

"It's alright, Shizuka-chan," Maika said with an amused smile on her face, "She was worse when I first met her. My husband almost kicked her out of the house,"

Shizuka turned to face her dearest friend by the entrance and ungracefully slapped her face on impulse when she saw the pleased look Rika was giving her. Kami! What an arrogant child!

After saying another goodbye to the older woman, she locked her arms along with Rika's as they both exit the inn. As soon as Shizuka took a step out of the building, the first thing her eyes noticed was the flaming red locks that belonged to one person only. Instantly, she felt her cheeks heat up and hoped to Kami that she didn't resemble a ripe tomato when he sees her. She kept her head low and attempted to drag Rika back to the inn but unfortunately, Rika managed to catch up with what was happening. When she saw the way the red haired Shinsengumi captain stared at Shizuka with the most endearing look a man could give to his significant other—which she will always find strange and how Shizuka unsurprisingly hid away from the attention, she came up with a conclusion that those two were seeing each other.

'So that explains all the secrecy!' Rika thought. Lately, Shizuka has been spending a lot of time with Maika. Both were mostly gossiping, which didn't interest Rika so she never joined in on any of their conversations. One time, Rika caught a name from one of their chat which made Shizuka blush while Maika giggled. The name was Sanosuke and when Rika tried to ask what they were talking about, Shizuka immediately changed the subject.

"Shizuka-chan? Was that Sanosuke?"

Shizuka instantly perked up when she heard his name, "Sano-kun," she whispered as she felt her thoughts travel back to that night. 

"_H-Harada-san? What are you doing here?" She felt her hands on her side grip the letter a little bit tighter as he took a step towards her._

"_I need to talk to you," he said._

_Then with a nod to Maika, the woman left to give the two some privacy. Soon, Sanosuke was right in front of her and she no longer has any means of escaping._

"_A-Ano, Harada-san, it's almost n-nightfall. I think y-you should go home," Shizuka silently cursed herself as she stuttered at her every sentence. But who wouldn't?! She was trapped between him and a table! She can't breathe! And she can't think properly!_

"_I already told Hijikata-san that I will be late. He said he doesn't mind as long as I don't get into any trouble," _

"_Ah.." came her reply._

"_Shizuka,"_

_Using his strong and calloused finger, he lifted her chin so that she can stare directly at him. She felt her blush deepen ten folds as he gave her that heart-melting smile._

"_Shizuka, can't you just be mine?"_

_Shizuka swore she felt light-headed after hearing those words. His letter said the same thing, but hearing it from his own lips.. Kami! Was it possible to faint over such words? Rika would surely laugh at her if she finds out!_

"_H-Harada-san," she heard her voice tremble, she tried to stop it, but she just can't—so she began to cry._

_Tears were spilling uncontrollably and so did her words, "Harada-san, you have no idea how happy I was when I received that letter. I really want to be with you, I want to say yes but I feel like I don't deserve you. You're a brave man and I've seen the way you fight with your men when those rogue samurais attacked you on one of your patrols. You embody persistence—even though sometimes I think it's just your stubbornness," she whispered the last part to herself, "You're perfect and I think you're every girl's ideal man. I on the other hand, am a coward, I easily get scared at the smallest things, I can't even come home at night if Maika doesn't accompany me, I sometimes get too emotional, I—" The next thing she knew was that she was being crushed into someone—specifically Harada-san's chest. _

_Automatically, her hands went to his back and embraced him while her head was cradled into his chest. The letter that she kept for two days in her hand was left forgotten on the floor._

"Oi! What are you day dreaming about?" Rika had to resort to shaking her to interrupt her day dreaming.

"Rika?" It seemed that Shizuka was still in a daze so Rika had another plan, "Ouch!"

By the end of the day, Shizuka was still holding her red nose that Rika squeezed earlier that day.

"Shizuka-chan! What happened to your nose?" it was Heisuke, one of the red head's Shinsengumi comrades.

Shizuka glared half-heartedly at her friend while nursing her red nose, "It's nothing, Heisuke-kun. It'll go away in a little while,"

"Okay, but don't expect Sano-san to ignore that," he said while pointing at her nose, "I suggest whoever did this to run away before Sano-san gets here,"

"She already did, Heisuke-kun," Shizuka said, referring to the empty space where Rika used to be standing.

The young Shinsengumi looked surprised, he never expected Rika to actually run away. That girl was obviously fearless; she won't even back down in a fight with an armed man and she's been in as many brawls as he has. After a few scratches, injuries, and broken bones, she still continues with her reckless lifestyle.

"Sano-kun is coming over?"

Heisuke tensed and stuttered as he thought of an excuse that Shizuka would believe, "A-Ah..you know, when he gets here tomorrow..or the day after that or—WAAH! Don't tell him I told you! He wanted to surprise you a-and ack!—just act surprised when he comes in!"

Shizuka laughed, "What are you doing here, by the way?"

"Hijikata-san asked me to get something from Maika-san. He told me it was something from his sister back in Edo," Heisuke answered.

Just a few weeks ago, Maika-san's husband along with Rika left for Edo for some family business. Maika-san was supposed to go with them but she opted to stay to keep Shizuka some company knowing her uneasiness when left alone.

"I see. Please continue on with your business, I really need to go home before it gets dark," Shizuka gazed at the setting sun as worry crossed her eyes. She was about to leave when Heisuke pulled her back.

"What? But Sano-san will be picking you up! You can't leave now!"

"A-ano, Heisuke-san," Shizuka was pointing secretly behind Heisuke.

The young man turned around slowly, "Hello, Sano-san. I'll be going now," and he dashed to his destination before Sanosuke could even reply.

Shizuka saw Sanosuke gave out a disappointed sigh as he walked towards her, "So much for a surprise," he said.

She laughed, a little bit nervously as he discreetly snaked his arms around her waist to give her a hug in public, "Don't you find it odd that he's a bit terrified of you now? Did something happen?"

"Terrified? No, but nervous? Yes. I think it's something what Shinpachi said to him," and when he saw the curious and worried look Shizuka was giving him, he smiled at her and said, "Don't worry about it. It's just a guy thing,"

Shizuka left it at that. She gave him a small smile before untangling herself from his embrace remembering that they are still outside. Sanosuke tried to be as discreet as possible about their relationship since he was afraid of what the people would do. A lot of people held grudges again the Shinsengumi and might take it on her. Shizuka had many fears, and he doesn't want to add more to that list.

Sanosuke led her to a near-empty shop, there was only one customer and he was eating at the counter. The both of them sat at the farthest corner of the shop while Sanosuke gave a signal to the cook. Most of the Shinsengumi ate at this establishment so he already knew Sanosuke and his usual order. This was one of a few shops that aren't hostile to any member of the Shinsengumi, Shizuka remembered. She knew of the repercussions of having a connection to the hated organization but for the first time in her life she wasn't scared.

'It feels strange,' she thought while staring at the red head, 'Why does it feel like I'm willing to give everything up for him. That I would face all my fears just to get to him,'

Her thoughts were then interrupted when she realized that she was staring at him for too long. She was about to apologize for her actions when he asked, "What happened to your nose?"

"Rika," she replied.

"Ah.."

"Hmm.."

Their food came and Shizuka's mouth watered as the scent of the meal entered her nose. It wasn't every day that she gets to be treated with good food.

"Itadakimasu!" 

It was already dark when they both got out of the establishment. Shizuka was obviously frightened; she tensed at every movement she sees. No one really knows why Shizuka was scared of the dark, but Sanosuke had a hunch. He recognized Shizuka as one of the witnesses and near-victim of the vampiric attacks a few months ago. He felt guilty for his involvement to her fears and that's why he promised to himself that he will do whatever it takes to protect her. Unconsciously, he pulled her closer, unaware of the horrors inside of her head.

Memories of the cold blooded murders she witnessed replayed in her mind at every step she took. An empty street and pools of blood. Mangled corpses. Red eyes and barred teeth ready to consume her. No one knew of the things she witnessed—even before the vampiric murders that happened a few weeks ago. She just wanted to leave them all in the past and if possible, she wanted to forget everything about it—to erase her unwanted past. Unconsciously, her grip on Sanosuke's arm tightened, hoping his presence could help her last the night.

None of them noticed that they were nearing Shizuka's small house. She used to live with her grandmother and uncle until the former died while the latter was serving a prominent official and had to travel along with his master. Now, Shizuka lives alone and is earning money for herself thanks to the help of Maika for letting her work in her inn. The pay was enough to support her daily needs and sometimes, she uses it to buy those beautiful kimono displayed by the seamstress at the market—just like the one she's wearing tonight.

Both stopped at the front of the house's entrance looking a bit disappointed when their time together was cut short, "This is it," Sanosuke said.

The girl gave him a warm smile. It was one of those sincere smiles that he enjoyed looking at. They were innocent and happy and it reminded him of the peaceful days back when he was training at the Shieikan. Although there was still a hint of wariness in her eyes, he knew Shizuka enjoyed their little 'date'. Shizuka may not be a person of many words, but she was an open book for Harada.

"Good night," he said as he pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.

"When can I see you again?" she asked, showing her enthusiasm regarding another 'date'.

Harada thought for a while. He doesn't have any rounds tomorrow but he had to train the new recruits until the end of the week. Now that he had thought about it, he clearly had a busy schedule for the upcoming weeks. It pains his to say that he won't be seeing much of Shizuka for a while.

Studying his worried face, Shizuka realized that he will be busy for a while. She hid the disappointment in her face and tried to be nonchalant about it but Harada caught up with her act.

"I'll be sending you letter then, just like before," he said, "And before you know it, I'm right there in front of you,"

Shizuka smiled, "As long as Heisuke-kun is alright with it,"

"Of course he will,"

Poor kid. 

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox 

It's Valentine's and I'm feeling a bit fluffy…so I made this..

I hope you like it. Consider this my mini-gift this Valentine's Day especially to those who don't have anyone to share it with—like me. :D

Also, I plan on making an actual story about this, but since I'm feeling a bit lazy..I'll just write random oneshots about this story until inspiration actually hits me so I can start writing it.

***I was supposed to post this yesterday but I was too busy and I forgot...**


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